Sink
by Sky Astor
Summary: Twelve and Clara get seperated... and she falls in one of the planet's deadly traps...
1. Chapter 1

_A/N:_ At first it looked like it would have nly around 700 words... and now it has much more. How did that happen?

Well, for the past few days a felt quite weird... and alone... and I don't know... I hope it didn't affect the fic.

* * *

 **Sink**

They visited another planet. A fascinating one. No one lived there, yet it was _very_ alive. Maybe even more alive than other planets. They were walking through a forest when it happened. There was quite a gap between - maybe ten feet - and the forest too advantage of it. All at once a giant and dense fern emerged between them, separated them. They still could hear each other and the Doctor even tried to break through it, but it was no use. He and Clara could just agree on going in the same direction, hope that they would meet at the end again... or that the forest would just leave them be at some point. They tried to talk, but later the forest isolated them completely, so they just had to stick to their agreement.

x

The impossible girl was guided by the green wall out of the forest to a place covered just with yellow moss – or at least she considered it as moss. It connected with a grey flat area that seemed to be endless. It was the only way she could go because the forest fortified itself with giant fern. Clara decided to go on the grey soil, walk for a while to get a better look on the forest from further away - maybe she would discover a way to get in... or the Doctor... or just something useful.

She stepped on the grey ground - rock solid under feet. It was like walking on concrete, except this probably wasn't. Maybe it was rock. Maybe. She kept on walking and looked round - the body of hard soil seemed to be infinite. Nothing was in sight. When she was far enough, her feet slowly started to sink. More and more with every step until the ground turned into liquid. Into a sea.

x

Her brown eyes were full of fear, unable to focus due to dark grey water that was splashing into them. Anxiety was tightening her chest and stomach as the waves tried to bury her.

Panic.

Fatigue.

Her head was tilted back as her limbs struggled to keep her mouth at water level. She tried to swim, but her body remained in place and her movement became more and more uncontrollable. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she was gasping for air. She wanted to scream, but her squeezed lungs and the lump in her throat didn't allow her to do so. She didn't know how much longer she could take and the waves kept on coming over and over again.

Suddenly her blocked ears heard something. Something else than the water's deadly whisper around her. She thought it was the Doctor calling her name. Clara. She adored the way he said it. All the different ways he could say it. But maybe her expiring mind was just playing tricks on her. However, her thought remained with him. This sea would be her grave and he wouldn't even know it. He'd spend ages searching for her, going round in circles. She wished he managed to find a way out and be safe.

She managed to take one last little breath before she disappeared from the surface. The cold water was merciless, pulling her down, forcing its way into her body. She had no power to fight back anymore. Her lips parted slightly - she saw a few bubbles escaping, ascending to the surface where only a few sun rays made it through the dark grey liquid.

Cramps.

More bubbles.

The cold water rushing through her nose and throat.

Dark grey getting a darker.

Going black.

Her consciousness was slipping away.

x

Shoes were lying on the shore, kicked off in a hurry. A black coat was lying further, closer to the water. Then, again a few steps onwards, a black jumper. All taken off during a fast and furious run.

The Doctor swam as quickly as he could to the place where he'd last seen her. When he was almost there, he took a deep breath and submerged below the surface. The water wasn't clear and he couldn't see very well, but he kept going until he saw a shadow. His Clara. He managed to reach her and approached her from behind. He pulled a small soft capsule out of his trouser pocket, placed his arms under her armpits and joined his hands, then he quickly pressed the capsule. It inflated at once and started rising to the surface where he eagerly swam with her to the shore that was covered with yellow, almost golden moss.

Once they had reached it, the Doctor quickly pulled her away from the water on the warm, soft moss and knelt down next to her. Her chest wasn't moving, he felt no pulse. The Time Lord began resuscitating her immediately.

Despite the blazing sun in the sky, cold embraced him and his hands were trembling as shivers were running up and down his spine. He was so worried about her, whispered that she was going to be okay.

After a while, he checked again for signs of life.

Nothing.

The Doctor thought it wasn't possible anymore, yet his hearts started to hammer in his chest with even more power than before while he was repeating the cycle.

In the middle of it, she abruptly jerked as her eyes flew open and she started to breathe and choke.

"Clara! Breathe, breathe!"

She rolled on her stomach, coughed a bit of water out and panted for air with a stinging pain in her lungs. She felt the Doctor's hand rub her back gently and she calmed down again.

"You're okay now, Clara."

Breathing heavily, she rolled over on her back again and realised he was stripped just to his trousers and dotty socks. Her eyes wandered shyly from his torso up where they found his face bowed down, his blue concerned eyes looking at her. His fluffy hair was tamed by the water which made her smile.

"Thank you, Doctor," she murmured and coughed a few times more.

The Doctor pulled her into a hug.

"I almost thought I'd lost you," he whispered into her neck and tightened the grip around her.

"No… I'm here – you've saved me… It's alright," she assured him, brushing her nose against his skin.

"Wait here," he said suddenly and ran back toward the water.

Clara was confused at first, but then she saw him just collect his jumper, coat and shoes.

"You should get out of these wet clothes," he said and sat down in front of her.

"Yeah, I should..." she agreed.

Slowly she started undoing the buttons of her blouse. Her arms seemed to weight a ton - she was tired.

"Doctor, could you please..." she asked with a faint smile and gave a gesture with her hand.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Of course," he replied and turned around, a bit embarrassed just as her.

Clara giggled and took off all her clothes and then put on his jumper that was warmed up by the sun. The Doctor was much taller than her, so when she stretched the jumper out, it covered her to the middle of her thighs. She left the coat on the ground next to his shoes and her wet clothes.

"Okay, you can turn around again," she said and he did so.

"How are you?" he asked and took her hand.

"I've been better," she smiled.

"Come here," he tugged at her hand, pulled her close again until she sat in his lap.

Clara rested her hand on his ribs, making the Doctor's hearts skip a beat. He was surprised at the contact because he completely forgot that he was naked from the waist up, nevertheless, it felt simply wonderful. He cupped her face with his hand, caressed it with his thumb and then leaned forwards. It just seemed so right in the moment. Their lips met for a brief and gentle kiss that flooded them with warmth.

They both smiled softly at each other and Clara rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

The Doctor whispered, "Rest for a while now, get warmer... When your clothes are dry again, then we can return to TARDIS where you can rest properly."

"Where is the TARDIS, anyway?"

"Good point. No idea," he replied and watched how the waves from the sea started to disappear until the surface of the water turned into a solid material again.

She giggled into his neck.

"Probably on the shore where we left her," the Doctor added.

They kept on sitting in the sun for a while and Clara started to feel better. The Time Lord then carefully lied down with her, used his coat as a pillow and let Clara dosed off for a moment.

About ten minutes later, the familiar sound of the TARDIS filled their ears, as the machine materialised behind them. They turned around only to find out that blue box was partly overgrown with the golden moss - mostly on the right side.

"Time to leave, I'd say," the Doctor frowned as he sat up, put his shoes on and slipped into his coat. The red lining felt surprisingly good on bare skin.

"That would be best, yeah," Clara agreed and slowly sat up too.

He went to his box to get rid of the golden "coat". Meanwhile, Clara took her dry clothes in her arms.

"Okay, let's go," he proclaimed and Clara went in.

The Doctor scuttled to the console and pulled the lever to take off.

"Are you okay?" he asked her again.

"Do you want to your flat or...?"

"I'd like to stay in my room here for now," she smiled at him and couldn't wait to get there and slip into her pyjama trousers, rest… She was exhausted.

"Yes, good - I wanted to keep an on you anyway. Just in case," he said softly.

"Will you stay with me?" she asked.

"Of course, Clara – if you want me to," he gave her a shy smile and Clara nodded.

"Go ahead, I'll join you in a minute."

* * *

 _A/N:_ Thanks for reading!

Hope you liked it and will continue to chapter 2 & 3\. :)


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N:_ This story was supposed to be a one-shot, but Write0rDie asked if there would be a second chapter… I'd been thinking about it and then thought: Why not? It was a really good idea, so thanks again for the comment!

I truly hope you all will like this chapter too!

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Sink**

 **Chapter Two**

When Clara came into her room, she threw her wet clothes in the corner - no mood nor power to take care of them - and with a hum, the TARDIS teleported them away. She decided to keep the black holey jumper on because there was something about that gave her a good feeling. Maybe it was the soft fabric on her skin... or the Time Lord's sweet scent on it. She couldn't quite tell. Clara slipped in her black pyjama trousers and sat down for a moment, wrapping her hands around her stomach... She really wasn't feeling well...

The Doctor put on his black plaid trousers and pink T-shirt that was most of the time hidden under other parts of his clothing. Although he saved her from drowning, he was still very worried about her because complications resulting from the water exposure might still occur. He grabbed a few warming blankets and a warm compress before he scuttled to her room.

When he entered, Clara was nowhere to see, but he heard some sounds coming from the direction of the bathroom. He left the things on her bed, walked over to the door and knocked.

"Clara, are you okay?" he asked.

She coughed a few times.

"Yeah, yeah," she answered quickly.

"May I come in?"

Silence.

"Clara, please... I want to help you," he pleaded.

"Yeah, okay," came her quiet voice. He almost didn't hear it.

The Doctor slowly opened the door and found her kneeling in front of the toilet bowl. Her chest and abdomen were heaving, her body slightly contorted - she thought she would vomit again, but her stomach had already been empty. Just a strange pain remained.

The Time Lord hated to see her like this. So vulnerable. Exhausted. Shaken.

He knelt down behind her and pulled into a light, comforting hug.

"Are you ready to go back to your bedroom?" he whispered as he tilted his head forwards to see her face.

A small nod was the answer. She didn't look at him and he could feel she was embarrassed.

"There's no need to be ashamed, Clara," he assured her.

"I know. It's just... I didn't want you to see me like this," she admitted.

"Oh, Clara, it's okay. Everything's fine. Come on, let's get you to bed," he said.

The Doctor helped her to get up and they went back. He knew she was weak although she tried to hide it. One push and she would fall over.

"Drink this before you lie down."

He pulled a phial from his pocket and gave it to her.

"What is it?" she asked as she sat down on her bed.

"Something for your upset stomach. It will be better," he smiled.

Clara swallowed the blue syrup-like liquid - it was warm, almost hot and she could feel it running down her throat.

"Thanks," she said.

"Don't mention it. Lie down, Clara, you need to rest."

Clara did as she was told and lied down on her back. The Doctor crawled on her bed, sat right next to her waist so that he could face her. His hand found the lower part of the jumper.

"I'll tuck it up a bit, yeah?"

It was half a question, half an announcement that he uttered shyly.

"Yeah," Clara agreed, not taking her eyes off him.

The Doctor tucked the jumper up and stopped right under her breasts. Her revealed skin was very pale, almost blue-ish. He put his hand on her cold and sore belly and gently rubbed it in circular motions. She relaxed, yet her heart started to beat a little faster. Her eyes closed for a moment, breathing evened, so he kept on soothing her upset stomach whilst he was smiling, looking at her sincerely.

"How's the pain in your chest?" he asked her.

"A little better... but still quite sharp," she murmured.

"I'm sorry, Clara, I think I can't do anything about that," he replied with regret.

"It's alright," she said and patted his hand lightly.

x

After a while, he picked up the small warm compress he had brought with him. It had the form of a rectangle and although it was filled with some liquid, it was very thin, so it wouldn't disturb her in any way. He carefully placed it on her skin, held it in place for a moment till it started sticking to it - therefore she needn't worry about rolling over in bed or walking.

"I brought you a warming blanket," he said, reaching for it.

"Great, thanks. Really need one," she smiled while he was tucking her up.

Then he removed his shoes and lied down next right to here. She wished him to stay with her, after all - how could he refuse? He snapped his fingers and the lights in the room dimmed as the ceiling turned into an excerpt from space - a colourful nebula with lots of stars and she loved it.

"Clara, if you start feeling worse," he started and Clara looked back at him.

"Then tell me, alright? Or if you need anything..."

The impossible girl sneaked her hand out of the cover to cup his face.

"I will - promise," she smiled and gave him a soft kiss.

"Thank you, Doctor," she whispered, caressing his lightly pink cheek with her knuckles.

His lips curled into a smile as he gazed at her lovingly, hearts about to jump out of his chest.

"It's... it's nothing, Clara. I like taking care of you," he replied.

"Rest now," he kissed her hand, put back under the blanket and she muffled herself up, let the warmth wash over her body some more.

The Doctor pulled her closer to him and placed a kiss in her hair as the humming of the blue box lulled her to sleep.

* * *

 _A/N:_ Thanks for reading!

Hope you enjoyed it!

UPDATE: There will be Chapter 3


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N:_ Aaaaaah, sorry this took so long. :/

Hope you like it!

* * *

 **Sink**

 **Chapter Three**

 _It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, it was warm and she was happy. Although it was peak season, the beach wasn't full of people as usual - she was lucky. Her legs carried her across the warm sand to the sea - she couldn't wait to swim, cool down. Not wanting to risk, she stayed close to the beach in case she got tired quickly. Now and then she even stopped, only to be sure that the underwater ground was still there in case she couldn't go on anymore._

 _When she started to be cold, Clara decided to swim back to the beach. She changed direction to return, but the shore that was supposed to be there suddenly wasn't there anymore._

 _Only the endless sea. Everywhere._

 _She panicked._

 _Not believing what she saw, she tried to swim back to nothing anyway, but her limbs seemed to be incredibly heavy - as if someone was holding her._

 _It didn't take long..._

 _Desperation and fear started filling her eyes with tears. This was a battle she couldn't win and she knew that. One last breath and the sea swallowed her..._

" _Clara."_

" _Clara!"_

 _x_

"Wake up."

She was sweating; her heart was pounding hard in her chest as she was pulled out from the terrible nightmare. Her eyes flew open as her body jerked in shock, her leg kicked someone. The sea had suddenly disappeared and she realised... remembered where she really was.

Safe in her room in the TARDIS.

"Clara, you were dreaming. You're okay," the Doctor said softly, looking down at her.

Her wide opened eyes that flickered across the nebula ceiling wandered to his face.

"You're okay," he repeated.

She sighed and covered her face with her hands. Breathing deeply, she tried to calm to down again.

"I've just drowned again," she told him.

Then Clara put her hands back down on the blanket.

"And kicked you. Sorry," she added.

"Nah, don't be - it was by accident," the Doctor waved his hand.

"Come here," he said softly.

The Doctor pulled her into a hug and the impossible girl rested her head on his shoulder.

"This happens, Clara... Reliving traumas in nightmares is not unusual," he whispered while he was rubbing her back, rocking her gently.

He himself knew how vivid nightmares could be…

"Will it happen again?" she murmured into his neck.

"Yes, it's possible," he admitted.

"But it won't if you... we could - if you let me-"

"Link telepathically?"

"Yes. But only if you really want to."

"Yeah, we can try it," she agreed and moved her hand from his shoulder to his neck, caressed it gently with her thumb, feeling the shiver under her fingers.

She was still a little scared, her heart beating quite fast - he could feel it through her hand.

"Sure?"

"Yeah..."

"Alright, then. Lie back down. You should get some proper sleep without anything troubling your mind... Not like before. You've slept just for twenty-nine minutes and fifty-seven seconds - I counted," he said.

Clara laughed a little as she lied back down on her comfy bed.

"You didn't sleep?" she asked.

"No. I hardly ever bother with sleeping, Clara."

She shook her head, giggling.

"You should sleep every now and then, Doctor."

"I do that."

"I mean properly – in bed. Not just stand-up catnaps when someone bores you with their talking," she giggled.

"Alright, I might try it... just for your sake," he smiled.

"Look, we can talk about my sleeping habits later, Clara. You should sleep now."

The Doctor put his fingers to her temples.

"Ready?" he asked and Clara nodded.

The Time Lord closed his eyes, concentrated, wanting to be gentle as possible with her. He put her to sleep and then tried to deaden the memory of drowning that was ready to trigger maybe another unpleasant dream. It was a fresh, therefore, vivid and strong memory - he could feel it very well. Carefully he entered her mind, influenced it and made sure she would have no nightmares this time.

He watched her for a minute or two, how she peacefully slept and he pondered what to do. His hand brushed a strand of hair from her face, caressed her cheek... He could go back to the console room, fiddle with the new gadgets he was building, but in the end, he decided to lie down back to her for a while. She was right – he really could sleep for a while… Hadn't done so for at least three and half months.

He allowed himself to slip his hand under the cover, took hers and intertwined their fingers to connect with her.

Soon he dozed off and found Clara in her dream…

* * *

****four hours later****

* * *

Clara lazily opened her eyes and saw that the place next to her was empty. She found a small note on the pillow.

"I'll be back soon"

She sat up and slipped out of the warm blanket for a while – she was a bit too warm.

"I've brought you something," the Doctor called from the door with a tray in his hands.

"Thanks. You... How did you know that I'm hungry?" she asked when she saw the bowl of chicken soup on the tray. There was also orange juice, water and some medicaments.

"I scanned you. Sorry," he smiled.

"That's cheating," she giggled.

"And I also know that you have a light cold... or will have soon."

"My throat is a bit sore," she admitted, not mentioning the headache and because he surely knew - and it was hearable in her voice.

"Well, I've brought you some pills, drops and syrups that I've found in your flat," he said.

"Thanks, Doctor," she said, "Let's go to the table."

They sat down and Clara took some of the medicaments she needed while the Doctor scuttled back for her warming blanket and wrapped up her bare feet in it.

"You should keep at least your legs warm," he said.

"Doctor, don't exaggerate," she chuckled, "I have just a little cold, that's all... not pneumonia or whatever."

"I know, I know. And this is not exaggerating, Clara! I just want to take the perfect care of you," he explained and sat down opposite her.

Clara actually wasn't that hungry, but she ate the soup anyway, knowing it would do her good. Even her stomach didn't argue anymore.

"You came to me - in my dream," she said.

"Did you make me dream about you?"

The Doctor smiled at her.

"Not exactly... I only _joined_ your dream."

"How?"

"I took your hand, so I could connect with you and I "invaded" your dream."

"So… it was you? Like you - you?"

"Dream me, yes. I knew exactly what you dreamt from the moment I came till I left your dream."

"That's just… amazing," Clara said, looking at him adoringly as she sometimes did.

He didn't think it was something special – all the Time Lords could do that, but he always had that honeyish feeling when he could show her new things… surprise her.

"The connection can be even stronger when you let me touch you somewhere else on your skin than your hand. Or you can touch me – that doesn't really matter. You'll have a lucid dream then too," he explained.

"But although all my dreams are lucid, I hardly ever can let go off the bad memories. I just walk through them. Not always. Most of the time."

Clara didn't know what to say at first. That's why he slept so little - only when it was really necessary. It made her sad.

"But when you were in my dream, it was fine, wasn't it?" she asked.

"Yes... "

"Well, we can do it again - whenever you want to sleep for a while. I don't mind it," she assured him.

"It's not exactly pleasant what you might see," he said to warn her, but she didn't listen of course.

"I'll have a lucid dream then too, right?"

"Yes."

"That means I can control it, right? I could lead you away – to a nice place that I imagine," she told him, hoping he would agree because she really wanted to help him.

"We could maybe do that, yeah..." he whispered, frowning at their hands, thinking how it would be… how it would feel.

"Please. We can at least try it," she smiled.

"Are your lungs still sore?" he changed the topic.

"Yes," she sighed, "But they're getting better. The pain is much milder now."

He was glad to hear that.

"Come one, let's get you back to bed, Clara."

No arguing - she was still tired and after the soup even more.

Clara walked over to her bed, picked the normal blanket from the ground and lied down again.

"You don't want the warming one?" the Doctor asked, standing next to her bed.

"Maybe later."

"Sure? I want you to be warm enough," he tried to convince her.

"Yeah... I'll be warm enough just with this blanket, Doctor. And besides, I still have your warm compress on my body."

"Uhm... Alright, then."

"Come here," she said softly and patted the empty space next to her while she removed the warm compress from her belly and placed it on the night stand.

Somewhere deep inside he hoped she would say that.

He slipped under the cover and hugged her lightly from behind.

"Doctor, would you like to sleep some more?" she asked softly despite already knowing the answer.

The Time Lord was silent. He wanted to say yes, but sleeping wasn't the main reason. It was Clara. Her warmth that he felt when he connected with her… It would be even stronger now, but he didn't want to flood her with his mind let alone hurt her.

"It's okay," she whispered.

Clara took his hand and put it under the holey jumper, placed on her belly.

"Clara, I-"

"Shhh, don't be afraid… Is there something I have to do?"

"No… just relax," he whispered and buried his face into her neck.

Her warmth started filling him as it flowed through his hand on her warm skin into his whole body. He relaxed; let it take him as they connected. The bed he was lying in suddenly seemed to be made of feathers and the Doctor found himself sinking into it.

x

 _He was walking on the streets of Gallifrey and everything was as it should be under the orange sky. Children playing, Time Lords in the streets, peace…_

 _Then he heard a cry, so he turned around, but he saw nothing… And when he turned back to continue his walk, everything was destroyed and in flames, bodies lying on the ground in puddles of blood._

 _His stomach twisted._

 _Buildings – or at least that what was left of them collapsed and buried the souls who were still inside. Screams of the desperate filled his ears as his eyes flickered across his home streets ablaze. He slowed down, but kept on walking with his hearts beating fast in his chest._

 _Explosion, parts flying through the air… sometimes even a body of someone who stood too close… Dust in the air that irritated his lungs._

 _The Doctor wanted to get closer, but someone took his hand._

 _He turned around._

 _Clara._

" _Come with me, Doctor," she whispered._

 _He hesitated at first, couldn't take his eyes off the horror._

" _Doctor," she tugged at his hand._

 _He followed her as she led him to one of the half-destroyed houses. Trusting her, he didn't argue._

 _They'd walked through the door and found themselves on a field of blue, lightly glowing flowers. The sun that had already set behind the horizon coloured the sky in hues of violet and pink. In the distance were a few silhouettes of windmills. Peace._

" _Do you like it?" Clara asked._

 _Confused, but also relieved, he turned around – the door they'd used wasn't there anymore._

" _Yes," he whispered as his blue eyes examined the beautiful sight around him._

 _Clara was glad that she managed to distract him from the horror, fear and suffering in his dream._

 _The Doctor put his arms around her and held her in a warm embrace. Smiling, he closed his eyes for a moment… He felt her all around him, the warm hold of her loving mind…_

" _Thank you," he said softly, brushing his cheek against hers as he was letting her go._

 _The Doctor took her hand again and they walked together through the soothing dream flower-wonderland…_

 _A/N:_ Thanks for reading!

Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
